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Even though Parfait by Affinitas collection is not the biggest on the full bust market, Parfait has nonetheless acquired a steady staple status as being the most promising American full-bust brand, going up to K-cup with their cult favourite bra Charlotte. I have been lucky enough to have met with the brand’s reps several times during these years of lingerie blogging and they have always been super supportive of my blog. This winter, even during my non-inspired phase and not-that-frequent blogging, Parfait has still wanted to keep me in the loop with their new styles. Today I am bringing you some more snow-queen-off-duty realness (which seems to be this winter’s theme here over at 2COP!) and introduce you to the new beautiful Parfait set, called Darlene. *Diclosure: This set was kindly sent to me by Parfait. All opinions are my own.*

The Design: Darlene is a rather unique sort of bra to me personally as its shape is something between a full-cup and a balconette, but it is also nor seamed nor moulded but something in between – does anyone actually have a name for such a cut?! There is one seam going across the bottom half of the cups but it only reaches the apex of the cups giving the otherwise moulded fabric a bit more uplift. Completely moulded non-padded bras have a reputation of not being very uplifting and thus attractive shape-wise (at least I like my boobs lifted, huh?).

The shape of the Darlene is still rather subdued so it’s not “up your chin” type of boobs, but a more natural look, almost a bit minimized if you ask me. The one thing that I would change about the bra is that the cups don’t necessarily bring my boobs closer together, which is something I would prefer. However, the balconette neckline is quite nice under wide necklines such as my Pinup Couture peasant tops. The bra is very appropriate for work as it does not offer much cleavage, which suits me well as I work with kids and need to look “appropriate”.

The look of the bra is quite subtle and elegant, and I like that is not your average t-shirt bra even though it works pretty well for that purpose. The lace lies flat under most tops and there are no extra ruffles to show through – yet the ensemble is still pretty and not too boring.

The Fit: I have a pretty “wild” history with the Parfait sizing – starting from 30G a couple of years back, trying 30HH at some point and now settling into 32G/GG. My Darlene is a 32G as most Parfait bras are not made in 32GG which would probably be my best size with them. The Parfait bands are said to be on the snugger side and this holds true with most of their styles – however, Darlene seems to run rather more true-to-size as opposed to eg Elissa which was the latest Parfait I tried last spring. I enjoy the Darlene’s band quite a bit – it is supportive with three hooks and eyes yet it is still rather comfy.

The cups are true-to-size as well – which unfortunately mean that they are just a tiny bit too small for me, mainly on my bigger boob. You can see the edge of the cup cutting into my full upper breast tissue, but I have forgiven the bra for this as it is a great shape under certain tops I already mentioned above. The cups are actually otherwise very flexible and thus if you are more full-on-bottom, you might enjoy this bra even in a smaller cup size.

Comfort: Even the look of the bra oozes: “I’m so comfortable! Wear me to everywhere!” The materials of Darlene are lightweight which is always a plus for me – I don’t need any more bulk to my bust and the Darlene works perfectly when I need a bit of minimizing to my bust line. As said, the bra cups are quite stretchy which will be a good thing for ladies who fluctuate in breast size during their cycle or have a bit of asymmetry.

The cups of the bra are a bit too shallow and wide for me, but the too-wide underwires are not a problem per se. I take more issue with the strap placement, which is sadly a bit too wide for me and leads up to some minor chafing in the armpit. If you are more broad-shouldered and wide overall, this may not be an issue for you. I wish Parfait would take into consideration the strap placement when going back to their designing table, as otherwise, this bra is very comfortable indeed!

The bottoms are a bit of a pass to me, as they are not exactly my taste to begin with. I always give a low-cut brief a chance – after all, I do have some really nice low-cut panties as well – but this time the sizing was a bit off for me and the Small felt just a bit too snug. I would say the Darlene panties feel a bit smaller than eg the “Charlotte” briefs. They are cute everyday knickers for someone who likes a super basic low-cut brief, but I prefer my panties a bit higher to feel comfortable and covered.

Parfait is one of those brands that are really famous for one bra – that is the Charlotte. Most of us have bought it at some point of our lives and love the bra as a great bradrobe staple. It is a wonderful ensemble with a unique design and great shape, but I also feel that the rest of the Parfait collection seems to stay in the darkness and not many of my regular online shopping platforms offer some of the other lovely Parfait styles. I hope this AW16 season will be a different story as it is one of the strongest collections Parfait has come out with. Even while being small, the AW16 range offers a variety of lovely lace pieces but also practical basics. Let’s dive into it!

Charlotte in Bronze, Casey in Ruby Wine & Estelle in Merlot

This new AW16 was definitely a great step towards more inclusive DD+ lingerie industry and thus a season for “nude” lingerie for women of colour. As compared to this spring season we are already seeing lots more variety with the “nude” colour palette and Parfait is a great example of it – they didn’t come up with just one, but three styles that will be a great match for dark chocolate toned skin.

The first one of the styles featured above is the good old Charlotte. This style already comes in a dusty rose colour which is great match for my skin for example, but now Parfait has created another lovely basic colour for their signature bra style. Also another classic, Casey (sizes 30-40 D-G), comes in a warm, almost red-ish dark brown colour with the lovely smooth surface to go under the thinnest of t-shirts. If you are looking for a more sexy style though, I would go for the Estelle which is my personal favourite from this whole collection – it’s a lacy, almost Marie Antoinette-like version of the Charlotte and I really like its more feminine look as compared to Charlotte’s fashion forward and edgy design.

Estelle in Black, Aline in Black and Nude

Estelle and Aline are the two new styles for Parfait that come out around July/August in 2016. With the Estelle being a total queen of the collection, the Aline is a new more basic style that comes in both Black and Nude and a classic pinstripe pattern. The design is bandless, which means there is no band fabric at the lower part of the centre gore and the wires make a U-shape on one’s ribcage. I am not a fan of basic t-shirt bras but I know there is a market for them – my mom for example would really enjoy the nude version of Aline.

Destiny in Nightshadow Blue, Marianne in Cobalt Blue

Blue is still going strong as an alternative for black and purple. I am also very much fancying the grey-ish blue tones that seem to also be making their way into basic colours this SS16 season. The new colour of the Destiny bra set would be beautiful on any redhead like myself – it also sports some luxurious satin and lace, which makes the set look far more expensive than it actually is. Both of the sets above come in 30-40 D-G. I am really hoping that at some point Parfait will expand their size range with some of their other styles in addition to Charlotte – I think that would make a lot of ladies super happy!

How do you feel about the new Parfait autumn collection? Do you like the dark brown options? Let me know in the comments below! xx

Many of you must have become familiar with a very well known Parfait style called Charlotte (click for my previous review in 30G!). Basically, Charlotte is a Parfait best-seller going up to K-cup and this way, it has become a favourite for so many women who crave for sexy options for a fuller bust. I myself have owned Charlotte in its pink colourway but this autumn the Parfait team has come up with a great new colourway of Purple Wine. I was so smitten with the purple shade and as I had grown out of my pink version, I knew I had to have my hands on the purple Charlotte. Luckily, my friends at Large Cup Lingerie were so kind to send me a whole new set of Charlotte so here’s the updated review of Parfait’s G+ Charlotte.

Design: As you may know by my last review of Charlotte, I absolutely adore the design as it is very retro pinup-like and always comes in delicious colourways. I liked how the Charlotte has now seen a few deeper shades as the previous ones have been quite pink and cutesy. The purple hue is very lively and rich and reminds me of berries. I also like the black trimmings – they make the style a bit more whimsical and classic at the same time and give the design its signature look.

The cups of the 30HH Charlotte cover a lot more than my 30G but that is quite expected as many brands don’t really know how to make supportive bras with a little less fabric or just believe than bigger busted gals need a bit heavier bras. The shape of the bra is still good and it leaves a fair amount of my chest bare so I think the looks of the bra work well in bigger sizes as well. There is not much cleavage in sight but it’s always good to own even some bras that cater for more modest look under clothing.

Fit: As the my previous version of Charlotte in 30G fitted me true-to-size and also otherwise very well, I was a bit baffled when I heard the G+ sizes were a different story. The cups ran small, the cups and straps were wider and cups came up high in the armpit. I wanted to know if this was something I could get on with and found indeed the bra to be a different fit with in 30G and 30HH.

I don’t find the fit differences such a huge problem but as there are significant differences, I suggest you read my review thoroughly. First of all, the cups do run about a cup size and half small so I would say you need to size up either a cup size or two if you are bigger than a G-cup. My 30G was on the smaller side of G but still not as “off” as the cup volume in the bigger sizes. My usual size is now between 30GG and 30H so a 30HH was a pretty good guess I’d say. Also I had tried the red version of the bra in a 30J before and it fitted me well (!) BUT the sizes has been revised a bit since last spring and they now come up a tiny bit roomier. The bands are snug but I would still go for your regular band size as the 30 band fits my 30″ underbust very nicely.

The cups encase my breast tissue well and the whole bra feels very supportive on – it’s one of the most sturdiest bras I have at the moment. If you do have a large bust and need something that will keep your girls in place, this is the bra for you. The straps are very wide in my opinion which is also a pro if you want something super supportive. The bra band is also rather wide and so are the cups/wires. I would say Parfait could still do some revising on the fit as the cups tend to come quite high up in my armpit but as it goes, I can deal with that issue pretty well. Also the fit is quite good for my full-on-top boobs though there is some folding at the bottom of the cups as they seem to be a bit too shallow for me. However, the top part of the cups is not cutting in and the bra gives me a nice shape so I don’t mind the wrinkling too much.

Comfort: As the bra is a bit heavy and sturdy it is probably not your best choice for a summer day in hottest heat but when you want to feel secure and strapped down and eg need to run for a bus, this bra is a great option. I sometimes find myself opting for the lightest bras I own and in the end of the day, the narrow bands and straps just feel painful and too flimsy, especially if you are wearing the bra for several hours. I would say that Charlotte does have a lot of bra going on, but it can be a saviour of the day when you have been running around all day and your boobs still haven’t bounced and hit you in the face.

The panties of this set are again comfortable AF and look super flattering too. I have even worn my Charlotte panties for dance class and other sports and they always seem to do the job superbly. So if you get the bra, make sure to get the bottoms as well! Charlotte set also includes a pair of lovely high-waisted knickers so if you want to add up some extra retro vibe, make sure to check them out too. The panties run true-to-size in my opinion so I went for my regular size Small.

The bra goes up to 40K (!) and costs only £30 so it’s not gonna break the bank either. I would also like to dearly recommend Large Cup Lingerie as they have a fantastic customer service and they offer a FREE international delivery! The ladies at LCL put their heart into their work and it really shows while interacting with them. If you don’t find your size on the online store, just pop them an email and they will do their best to order your size asap.

Have anyone of you tried Parfait Charlotte in the G+ sizes? How did you like it and is there something you would improve? Leave me a comment below as I would love to know 🙂 xx

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